flying with animals

Planning a trip with your pet? ellanic offers a range of travel options for your pets/animals; depending on their breed and size, they can travel in the cabin with you, be transported in the aircraft hold or transferred as cargo.

A Live Animal Acceptance Checklist must be completed and signed at the airport. The form will be provided by the ground staff at ellanic’s check-in desk.

Each passenger is allowed to travel with only one animal in the cabin, carried within a special box/container. The maximum permitted weight for a pet is eight (8) kilos.

If you wish to travel with more pets, they must be familiar with each other and carried within the same special box/container. They should also not exceed the maximum weight of eight (8) kilos each.
When traveling with an infant, it is not permitted to bring along a pet in the aircraft cabin.

If travelling with a pet in the cabin, you may be asked to move seats or take a different departure if passengers nearby are allergic.

Special box/container for pets on board

For the safe and comfortable travel of your dog/cat in the cabin, we recommend using a soft-sided pet carrier. The space under the seat in front of you may vary depending on the aircraft type, and hard-sided carriers may not fit on all our aircraft.

• The container should be large enough that the animal can stand upright, turn and lie down in a natural manner.

• Pets should be carried within a special box/container which is the passenger’s responsibility to provide.

• The container must not exceed 55cm length x 40cm width x 23cm height. For ATR aircraft, the following maximum dimensions apply: 40cm length x 25cm width x 25cm height.

• It should be adequately ventilated on at least four (4) sides.

• The door hinge and locking pins must engage the container at least 1,6cm.

• The container should be leak-proof and pets must be kept there during the whole flight.

• Pet owners should ensure that pets have enough food and water for the whole flight, including possible transfer times, if applicable.

• Passengers travelling with a pet in the cabin must be seated on any window seat, not in the first row or the emergency exit row.

• The container must be placed under the seat in front of the passenger.

• Pets may enter lounges but should await their onward journey in their special box/container.

• Only dog species and cat species are accepted inside of the cabin.

Animals in the hold

If you have a larger animal which exceeds the eight (8) kilos weight limit (including its container), then it should only be transported in the baggage hold compartment of the aircraft. Except for particular breeds, ellanic welcomes for transportation in the holds of all aircrafts.

• Animals may not be accepted to be transported in the aircraft hold for a connecting time exceeding three (3) hours.

• Animals intended for laboratory and scientific purposes shall not be accepted as well.

In general, the maximum number of pet/animals which may accompany the owner or an authorized person during a single flight shall not exceed five (5). Τhe maximum number of pets/animals per container is two (2), up to six (6) months old each and all having the same date of birth.

Health

Pets/animals must be minimum six (6) months old, with a valid anti-rabies vaccination.

• The anti-rabies re-vaccination is required every one, two or three years, depending on the vaccine duration. Vaccination must be valid and in effect when travelling (a minimum of 21 days since last shot). The 21 day restriction does not apply in cases where the new vaccination was administered before the expiration of the last one.

• For a vaccination to be considered valid, it must be applied after the microchip placement, and the pet must be at least 12 weeks old.

In general, pets/animals must be clean, healthy, harmless, odorless, not pregnant, not sedated and not annoying for other passengers.

Documents and Check-in

• At Athens International Airport "El. Venizelos", Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” and Heraklion Airport, there are special check-in counters exclusively for passengers with pets.  Irrelevant of departure airport, pets must be presented at a check-in counter for clearance at least one and a half (90 minutes) hours prior flight departure.

• Prior to flying, the pet’s health book must be physically presented for inspection and the pet must be fitted with the required ID microchip. Specifically for travel within Greece, the electronic health Book issued by the respective government or a copy of its document is accepted if the date of the Microchip is also noted there.

• If a pet is not accompanied by its legal owner, written authorization from the owner, using a declaration, is required.

• Although online and mobile check-in is available, passengers travelling with a pet must pick up their boarding pass at the airport.

Travelling abroad

• Transportation of pets is subject to Governmental regulations concerning import, export and transit of live animals. Each country may impose additional conditions; therefore, it is mandatory and advised for each passenger/pet owner to visit the respective authorities (usually Ministry of Food and Animal) of their destination country for further requirements. For more information, please visit the official EU site on the regulations for travelling with pets/animals.

• Transportation of dogs and cats to Dubai and Abu Dhabi are NOT accepted in cabin or aircraft hold and are only allowed to be sent as cargo. 

• Transportation of dogs and cats to the UK is only permitted for flights to London Heathrow and only to be sent as cargo. Please check the guidelines for importing pets into the UK. From the UK, the transportation of dogs and cats is permitted in cabin or aircraft hold, with the exception of the airport of Gatwick London where they are only allowed to be transported as cargo.

• Each dog with cropped ears imported into Ireland either as cargo, PETC and AVIH is required to have an import license issued by the Animal Welfare Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In addition, each dog with cropped ears imported into Ireland must be accompanied by an original veterinary certificate stating the veterinary reason for the ear cropping procedure, signed by a veterinary practitioner and with an official veterinary practice stamp.

• When travelling abroad, pet owners must also present a pet passport.

It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that all paperwork required for the importation of their pet is correct for the country they are entering.

Service Animals

ellanic accepts the following two (2) types of dogs as service animals, allowed to travel in the aircraft cabin:

Trained service dogs: Seeing eye dogs trained to lead passengers with impaired vision / hearing aid dogs trained to lead passengers with impaired hearing / other service dogs trained to assist, for example, epileptic or autistic passengers.

Trained service dogs must be certified by an organization that is a full member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), or European Guide Dog Federation (EGDF) or any national certified Guide Dog School.

Rescue dogs: Dogs trained to assist rescue workers.

• Service dogs can be booked through AEGEAN's official digital channels or the AEGEAN Call Center and must be requested at least 48 hours before the flight's departure.

• They are carried free of charge.

• Passengers are entitled to one (1) service animal in the aircraft cabin. A second service animal may be carried in the baggage hold in an approved special box/container.

• The passenger is responsible to provide a container.

• The service animal shall fit between your feet.

• It shall not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other passengers, or a threat or disruption to the service in cabin.

• The service dog is not allowed to move around in the cabin.

• The "Requirements for pets/animals transportation" mentioned above apply for service animals as well.

• Service dogs are only allowed to be transported to the UK on flights to London Heathrow.

Passengers must ensure that regulations in the destination country permit the pet/animal to be transported and enter the country according to local legislation and that the pet/animal complies with all health and hygiene requirements and that they have all the necessary documentation for ownership and transportation.

Pets & Animals as cargo

Please contact our Cargo Department in cases of:

• Cats and dogs are travelling without a human companion.

• Cats and dogs where the required container/crate exceeds the following dimensions (in centimeters): 105(L) x 75(W) x 79(H).

• Cats and dogs travelling to the UK where they are required to travel as cargo.

Telephone: +30 210 9335300

Email: enquiry-cargo@ellanicair.com